Sacrifice
by Ellie993
Summary: The aftermath of the Undertaking. Starling City is collapsing in on itself following the quake. Can Felicity comfort Oliver. Will He let her reach him. Love is the purest form of sacrifice. Will their moment of comfort change everything or will Oliver continue to sacrifice any and all future happiness. One-shot. Might be extended. {Rated M Just In Case}
1. Ch 1 - The Undertaking Aftermath

Felicity Smoak sat in mute horror as the foundations of the foundry and the rest of the eastern Glades shook around her. The shocks and quakes rolling continuously threatening everything around her to collapse in on itself and swallow the entirety of the Glades along with her. Her horror growing greater with every passing second, as the camera CCTV footage from across the Glades blinked from sight on her computer monitors.

Perhaps it was this rapid loss of visuals from across the Glades which made that sinking horror so much a reality. It was proof that it wasn't Felicity's over-active imagination playing tricks upon her as the remaining sources of footage showed the worsening situation taking place outside the lair.

She watched helplessly as hundreds fled in terror, desperately trying to out-run the gaping chasms which split open the roads and pathways. She dimly registered in the back of her mind that the damage to some extent was at least contained.

A sudden and violent aftershock caused the ground beneath her the lurch alarmingly, jerking her back to reality making her realise that although she was safe for now in the foundry, Digg and Oliver were still out there, in the midst of all this chaos.

Gasping in fear, Felicity hurriedly flicked on her comm link, "Oliver!?" Felicity sobbed, praying for a reply, she desperately tipped her head back slightly, blinking repeatedly as Oliver demanded in return, "Are you Okay?"

Felicity gulped and nodded in reply before answering verbally, "Yeah." A bang behind her caused her to jump with a gasp as a light exploded from falling debris. She tried desperately to hold back her sobs but one escaped as she tried to continue to talk to Oliver. She needed to hear his voice again, prove to herself he really was okay. "The damage seems to be contained-". She stopped abruptly to shallow harshly before continuing, "On the east side, past Pole Street."

Despite bracing herself before she finished, Felicity still flinched as Oliver breathed Laurel's name over the comm link. She distantly heard Digg assuring Oliver he was fine and to go. Rationally she knew, that, of course Oliver had to check on Laurel, that the Glades, at the minute was like hell on earth and that Oliver needed to be sure that Laurel was okay, just like he'd do for anyone else. But it still hurt none-the-less.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there as the ground and walls shook around her, as the debris fell but she was jerked back into focus by the sounds of screaming in her ear. It was then that she noticed that Oliver in his hurry had forgotten to disconnect the comm link, but as she began to turn her own comm off, she registered Laurel voice screaming Tommy's name in the background. For the second time that day, Felicity Smoak found herself frozen, unable to move.

She distantly heard Tommy speak, his voice weak and strained, _"I'm sorry…"_

"_Don't apologise." _The agony and sadness Felicity heard in Oliver's voice caused her to unconsciously rub her own chest over her heart. How desperately she wanted to be there in person, to comfort him, both of them. She couldn't help but feel this dreadful, awful pit building in her stomach.

"_I was angry and jealous, I …. I am my father-". _Biting her lip she listened to Oliver fervent response cutting over whatever else Tommy was trying to say. _"No, no you're not!"_

There was a brief pause before she heard Tommy's voice again and she flinched at his question. Tommy sounded like a little boy and not the good, torn man Felicity and discovered him to be over the past months. As she had gotten to know Oliver, she felt in a little bit, she had also gotten to know Tommy as well.

"_Did you kill him?" _Her heart beat heavily in her chest, she could practically feel the pounding sound imitated in her own head as a roaring sound filled her ears. Despite it, she heard Oliver's whispered white lie. "_No." _She barely registered Tommy's whispered, "_Thank you". _Before that building feeling of dread erupted from her stomach and an ache enveloped her chest as Oliver's anguished voice cracked over the link. "_Tommy!?" _Felicity couldn't help the sob that caught in her throat and she quickly muted her comm before the sobs that were caught, broke free as she listened to Oliver whisper, "_It should have been me." _Her breath catching, Felicity squeezed her eyes shut as she listened to Oliver beg. _"Open your eyes Tommy." _Felicity slumped back in her chair as the ruckus from behind her caused by the falling debris of the foundry disappeared, cupping her hands over her eyes and sobbing. She heard Oliver brokenly beg once last time, _"Open your eyes…"_

Suddenly a high pitched screech and rumbling groaning filled her ears, as a large piece of debris fell, crashing onto her desk and smashing her monitors. Felicity tipped backwards in her chair and crashed to the ground away from, her now collapsed desk and workbench. Her head throbbed painfully but she pushed herself into a sitting position and her hand landed on her tablet. Luckily it had been, as far as she could tell, spared from the damage of the falling debris. Felicity knew that the foundry, although it may still be standing and could in fact remain that way throughout the rest of the aftershocks, the foundations had to be, to some extent compromised and that she would be better off away from the Glades. She had to get out now, before the aftermath of the earthquake truly began, looters, thieves and violent elements would emerge quickly, taking advantage of the situation. Anyway, she needed to find and somehow get to Oliver. Gathering her tablet and coat off the back of her chair and handbag, felicity spun on her heel towards the staircase.

But as she reached the stairs leading to the club entrance a violent aftershock caused her to lose her balance. As she hit the ground a louder crash echoed, and the staircase that had been her exit route from the basement crashed to the ground narrowly missing Felicity's frozen form. Perhaps it was that moment, that Felicity's fear truly was made real, and panic overwhelmed her as she desperately scrambled towards the back hallway that led to a rarely used back entrance that had only recently been installed, so that Felicity, Digg and Oliver could come and go without raising suspicion from the club staff and patrons. Felicity couldn't help the sob that broke free when she saw that part of the ceiling had not only collapsed and blocked the doorway but the big passageway that should have been present had been reduced to a small limited gap. Desperately Felicity turned her comm back on and called repeatedly for help. But no one answered. Digg was probably being patched up due to the injuries he'd sustained and Oliver, Oliver was too wrapped up his grief to think, let alone come to her rescue. She was alone, trapped.

When the remaining lights flicked and the industrial bulbs blew, throwing sparks wildly before the entire foundry fell into darkness. Felicity tried but could no longer hold herself together any more, crumbling against a wall. The sobs built in her chest and tore raggedly from her throat, tears sliding unendingly down her face and dripping off her chin. She didn't bother to try and stem the flow, the despair was overwhelming. It was only when she had gotten used to the deafening silence of the foundry once her sobs stopped that she heard it. "Felicity, Felicity? Can you hear me?" perhaps it was the fact that she was in shock but it took her a few minutes to realise that she could in fact hear a voice, it was coming from over the comm link. "H-Hello?" felicity stammered in a broken whisper. "Felicity, what's wrong? Where are you?" A voice demanded hoarsely. It was Oliver, he'd heard her. "I-I-I'm still in the F-foundry. The aftershocks, the tremors. Oliver I-I-I'm trapped. The doorway its-" her voice cut off as wrecking sobs overtook her.

Felicity distantly acknowledged that Oliver was saying something else, but her mind struggled to grasp what it was he was trying to tell her. The fear and all-consuming terror that she had been so desperately fighting had overtaken everything, especially now that she knew there was no way of escape. All that Felicity now knew was that she was terribly afraid, so just like she had done when she was a child when her mother often went through one of her bad patches, she slid to the ground, curled herself up into the foetal position on floor and rocked herself. Felicity knew that she would mostly likely die here, alone. Her childhood, although not the worst had been dismal. She'd lost her innocence and joy long before other children her age, caring for herself and her mother when she'd been in no fit state to care for her own daughter. The amount of friendships in Felicity's life had also been strongly lacking, perhaps due to her high intelligence which had showed from a young age, which combined with her unstable home-life made making friends her own age next to impossible. Her adult life had been little better, despite graduating with not only honours but distinctions from MIT and landing a job at QC, promotion had eluded her and her life had been little better until Oliver Queen had returned from the dead. There was so much she still wanted to do, travel the world, meet someone to fall in love with who would love her in return, get married _and have a family._ Do all the things for her children that her own other should have done for her daughter but had failed to.


	2. Ch 2 - In The Ruins

Oliver Queens's time on the Island, had more than reflected its name, _Purgatory_. But never in his life had he truly felt more like being on an Island as he did right now, in this moment with his friends body, _Tommy's body _cradled in his arms. He felt adrift, cut off from the world and everyone in it. This feeling only worsened when he was forced to relinquish his hold and retreat to the shadows of the crumbled ruins of the building as he heard Laurel calling for Tommy.

But Oliver didn't leave straight away, he couldn't. Laurel was coming closer looking for Tommy and when her screams began as she discovered his body, he froze. He was so engrossed, so fixated on Laurel's grief that he didn't register what it was that he was hearing besides her sobs. But it was impossible, who would be calling his name, there was no one about who knew him or who he was, especially when dressed as the Vigilante. But he knew the voice, how was that even possible? Despite everything in him screaming at him not too, he forced himself to block out his surroundings, the sounds of the collapsing buildings, screaming people but especially laurel and her grief. All of a sudden it hit him. _Felicity_.

He could hear Felicity through the connected comm links. But his relief following the recognition was short lived as he registered the fear, panic and desperation within her voice but especially the sobs which had overtaken her frantic cries. "Felicity, Felicity? Can you hear me?" Oliver called desperately, but still all he heard were her cries. And in that awful moment, all he could think was the worst. Had the comm link somehow been damaged, could Felicity even hear him?

His body sagged forward in relief when he heard her disjointed reply, hurriedly he demanded to know what had happened and where she was. His heart jumped into his throat at her reply. Here he was wrapped up and drowning in his grief while Felicity was trapped and frightened. _He'd failed her, Just like he'd failed Tommy._ He wrestled the thought down and focused on getting to Felicity.

By the time Oliver had reached the foundry, the aftershocks had slowed but with the change, so too came the change in the behaviour of those in the surrounding Glades. The criminal element which often emerged after a disaster had begun to appear. Looting stores, attacking civilians, their motives ranging from desperation, to greed, to those driven by purely evil intentions, they wanted to simply cause as much damage to anything or anyone they came into contact with. But Oliver blocked them all out, every crime or incident, his focus purely on getting to the foundry, getting to Felicity. _He'd already failed and let Tommy die, he wouldn't let Felicity die as well._

From outside, Verdant looked to have suffered little damage. But Oliver knew that appearances could be deceptive. The fact that Felicity was trapped in the foundry meant that the majority of the damage was most likely located in the structure and even more worriedly, the foundations. All it would take was a strong enough aftershock coming from a specific direction towards the present damage and it could all come crashing down like a house of cards. So Oliver didn't slow down, merely hugged the walls on his bike as he turned the corner and headed for the recently installed back entrance.

The door was skilful hidden behind an old panel which matched several other panelled walls which merely proved as a covering for brick walls. It was an ideal spot for not only access to the foundry but it blended in with the surrounding buildings. From the minute Oliver removed the panel, he realised that the security system of the lair had been shut down, most likely due to the impact of the tremors on the electricity grid. Therefore the door hidden behind the panel, which was normally operated by unlocking. Felicity's hi-tech security would now have to be opened by manually, by pure physical force. Luckily, he and Felicity had designed the door with a fail-safe, he merely had to wedge an exploding arrow in the side where the hinges were, where a specific and well hidden flaw would allow him to compromise the sea and then detonate the arrow heads, which would wedge the door open. That was when Oliver saw the piled ceiling high debris blocking the exit, with a gap in the middle a bit bigger than soccer ball.

"Felicity, Felicity? Can you hear me?" Oliver called desperately into the gap. He strained his hearing for a verbal response but none came, except small whimpers. He called again but it was as if she couldn't hear him. Which probably meant that she was in shock. Which would make getting her out all the more difficult. So he started digging shifting the rock in an attempt to widen the hole.

Finally, after a slow gruelling process of shifting a small amount stopping to check for sliding rocks and listening to Felicity's quieting whimpers and sobs. Oliver finally had widened the hole at least big enough for felicity to slip out, he feared that shifting any more rocks, even to widen it so he could go in, would cause the opening to collapse. "Felicity, I know you can hear me. I know you're afraid. But I'm right here, just outside the door." He stopped and listened for some response. Just when he was about to speak again, he heard sounds of someone slowly shifting their position. "That's it Felicity, come towards my voice. I need you to come to me Felicity, I can't fit through the opening. I widened it but I can't make it any bigger without risking the rubble shifting." He quietened again but there was no more movement. "I'm right here Felicity. I just need you to come to me. I promise just a couple of more feet and you'll be out of there, you'll be safe." Oliver held his breath and after what felt like an eternity he heard further movements. His breath released noisily as he saw her hand pass through the opening. As soon as Felicity was halfway through Oliver lifted her free of the hole and crushed her against his chest.

Felicity's entire body went rigid at the action and just as he was about to release her, her hands clutched at his leather jacket and hard wrecking sobs burst from her. It was when the shaking took over her entire body that the events hit Oliver. She'd been inside a collapsing building, in the dark and trapped. _He could have lost her as well._

Oliver had no idea how long they stood there, Felicity cradled against his chest. It could have been minutes or an eternity, he had no idea. It was only when he realised suddenly that her sobs had stopped and he heard the shouts and sounds of glass breaking and stuff being hit about getting closer to them that he realised that they needed to move. The Glades would only get more dangerous as the aftershocks faded and the criminals began to spread out in search of goods to steal or people to mug and attack. "Felicity we need to go. It's not safe here. We need to leave the Glades now." Gently he guided her towards his bike. But before he could climb on, he looked at Felicity. She was still suffering from shock and he couldn't risk her safety if she rode behind him, by the looks of her, what little strength she had was draining quickly. So he placed her on the bike and claimed on behind her, he bracketed her in, with her hands on the inside of the handlebars.

After some sharp manoeuvring as they fled the Glades on his bike, Oliver realised the only place he could take Felicity, that was guaranteed to be safe was the last place he wanted to be, the Queen Mansion. He couldn't go to Felicity's apartment in fear of the violence of the Glades spreading outwards towards the city centre where her apartment was located. So despite everything in him wanting to go in the opposite direction, he headed towards the mansion.

Oliver wasn't really surprised that there wasn't any guards on duty, many had probably fled to check on loved ones or merely decided to distance themselves from the Queens Family and their part in the Undertaking. Felicity was fading quickly, her arms were beginning to shake and she was beginning to drupe alarmingly lower on his bike. So he sped up and parked at the front door. Without thought he scooped her into his arms, entered the house and sprinted up the main staircase, reaching his room in seconds. He quickly placed Felicity on his bed and whispered that he would be right back before he fled to his closet to change out of his leather clothes and changed into sweats in case anyone else should show up.

When he exited the closet, Felicity had curled up his bed and facing the closet. But it wasn't the way she'd positioned herself that captured his attention it was the cut on forehead and her extremely pale complexion. He knew as much as she wanted to just lay there, he had to treat any wounds in order to infection wouldn't set in and she needed treatment for shock, if she didn't snap out of it soon.


	3. Ch 3 - Let Me Comfort You

**Well everyone, another update. This is where the M rating comes into play. It's my first attempt at writing any scenes with sexual content, so keep that in mind.**

* * *

Despite everything in him calling him to mirror Felicity curled up posture and forget, he straightened his back and shoulders and set about assessing Felicity's condition whilst mentally cataloguing any and all wounds. It didn't take long for Oliver to realise that Felicity's body was littered with pathways of cuts and bruises. Resolutely he strode grim faced into his en-suite bathroom, where he gathered the fully stocked medical case under the sink and grabbed the sweats and t-shirt he'd left sitting on top of the closed clothes hamper this morning. It seemed like such a long time ago, this morning. _Tommy had been alive_.

Forcing the thought down, he quickly made his way back to Felicity's side and began carefully removing her coat and shoes before he set about treating any visible wounds. It was only when he went to remove her blouse in order to assess the rest of her that he froze. It was in that moment that it dawned on him again, this was Felicity. Felicity, who became flustered when she said highly inappropriate things, when he brushed her hand or arm accidentally, yet here she was stoic and unresponsive. She was in no state to care for herself in her current state of shock, yet he felt so very wrong touching her whilst she wasn't really present. So he did the only thing he felt he could do. He talked to her. As he set to resume the treatment of her wounds he talked her through his removing her clothes and wiping and treating any cuts he encountered.

When he finished her upper half, he quickly pulled the t-shirt over her head, exhaling loudly before he eased her upright, leaning against him and he removed her skirt. Maybe it was the shock of seeing her long legs completely exposed but he stilled and swallowed is half spoken curse. It was her squeezing of his arms that pulled him back into the present.

Felicity felt like she was floating, not quite there. Perhaps, that's why when Oliver began to talk her through his dressing of her wounds which finally drew her back. All she knew was that she was suddenly aware of her body, aware of Oliver's hands on her body. But it was when he removed her skirt and his sharp intake of breath that made the hands he placed on his arms for balance tighten, nails embedding in the skin of his arms which triggered the come down. She felt the shaking start from deep within her and spread outwards, her breaths uneven and too fast to really catch her breath. She suddenly found herself crushed into Oliver's chest, his arms banded around her tight, almost painfully as he tucked his head into the curve of her neck.

It was really his mumbled words that forced her to calm her breathing, she inhaled the scent that was uniquely Oliver's. It was musky with a hint of sweat but warm and comforting, it was all Oliver's. Felicity brought her own arms around Oliver as she too pulled him tighter and strained to hear what he was saying.

Felicity inhaled deeply, despite the quietening of the rushing in her ears she still couldn't hear what Oliver was saying. So it was when she stepped back on her left leg to speak that the pain flared and her knee buckled. But before she could fall Oliver had her against his side and shuffled her backwards, easing her down so she was once again sitting on the edge of the bed. Felicity's eyes jerked upward at the strangled sound that emerged from Oliver's throat, his gaze locked on her legs. She looked down and blinked in shock at the large gash on her inner left thigh. Felicity watched as Oliver knelt before her, assessed the gash and set about treating it. Luckily it wasn't that deep and Oliver had quickly cleaned the wound placed butterfly bandages along it, before he placed some gauze over it and wrapped a stripe of bandage over the top, to keep the wound sealed and covered. It was only when he'd finished and Felicity's lifted her gaze from the hands that lay on top of her thighs that she looked up into his face. _I could've lost him tonight._ "I could've lost you." It took a moment for Felicity to realise that Oliver had mirrored her thoughts and spoke aloud. When he spoke again his eyes were burning and his hands tightened their grip. "I couldn't have bared it, Tommy's-, he's-"

"I know," Felicity murmured in an attempt to ease his obvious pain. She cupped his face, and repeated in a whisper, _"I Know."_ Felicity jerked in surprise as Oliver pushed up abruptly bringing his mouth down on hers. The kiss was desperate and drugging pulling her under. Felicity weakly attempted to pull away, to break the kiss. But the ragged protest that emerged from him froze her, her face inches from Oliver's. His eyes were full of such sadness, such unbearable sadness.

_"Please…" _Oliver breathed. Her resolve cracked, with that one whispered plea. She knew she should push him away tell him he was in no state for this to happen. When it felt like her strength was beginning to gather again, she withdrew a little more, but the tear that slipped free from Oliver's eyes and travelled slowly down his cheek, broke what little resolve she'd gathered. Easing forward gently, Felicity trailed her hands down his checks and trailed the length of his neck, leaning forward, her lips brushing his.

Before she timidly swept her tongue over Oliver's lower lip. That's all it took, that simply timid sweep of her tongue for whatever tenuous hold Oliver had held over himself to snap. Suddenly Oliver pushed upright, breaking the kiss and tearing his t-shirt off over his head. Felicity without thought pushed up right and mirrored his movements, removing her own t-shirt. Before it could register with herself that that not only was she standing almost naked in front of Oliver, this was in fact not a daydream. This was really happening. Oliver's mouth crushed hers as his arms banded around her back.

Felicity felt the tell-tale sign of her bra opening at the clasp before Oliver tugged that down her arms. The material of his boxers brushed her thighs, briefly before she felt the material skim her legs as they fell to the ground. Both of their chests were heaving, their breaths sounding harsh in the stillness of the room.

Oliver tumbled them onto the large mattress behind her, trailing his mouth down her neck and biting her pulse-point. Gasping, Felicity arched her back as Oliver's hands slid down the length of her torso, to remove the last barrier that kept her skin from his. Felicity gasped as Oliver reached between them and trailed his fingertips between her legs, a sob bubbling free from her throat. She gasped as his hand slid to the back of her thigh hitching her leg up as he settled between her thighs. Her hands tore up his back, digging deep as he slid deep inside her. Felicity's breathe caught in her throat, her eyes sought Oliver's, desperately seeking some kind of connection beyond the physical. But Oliver's gaze wouldn't meet hers. Instead he buried his face in her neck, kissing and nipping her neck and collarbone as his thrusts increased. Despite Felicity's attempts to regain her senses, to return her focus, the sensations within her kept building. Her muscles tightening with each deepening thrust, before contracting sharply in release, Oliver coming along with her.

Slowly Felicity's breathing slowed and despite Oliver's weight slumped upon her, her senses and wits slowly returned. Despite everything in her wanting to relax and soften in the wake of her and Oliver being together in a way she'd only imagined, her muscles stiffened. Oliver must have felt the change, because he slowly slid free of her body and pushed his weight to his arms. Felicity's eyes flew to meet Oliver's gaze, but as her eyes connected with his, he turned his head and pulled away from her.

The coldness that had been slowly seeping in, sharply increased. Desperately Felicity grabbed the rumpled sheets, covering herself. "Oliver?" Felicity whispered. But he merely shook his head and disappeared into the closet. Eyes burning, Felicity blinked repeatedly, breathing in sharply. She felt the sobs building in her chest. Quickly she slid from the bed, her leg throbbing in protest in response not only to her actions mere minutes ago but to her attempt to hurriedly cross the floor. Ignoring the pain Felicity fled to the bathroom, clutching the sheet tightly. Turning the water taps on strong, she sunk to the floor, tears spilling down her face, her hand clasped over her mouth in a desperate attempt to quiet the sobs tearing free.

Eventually the sobs lapsed, the tear tracks dried on her cheeks. Felicity knew that she couldn't stay in the bathroom forever, she would have to face what they had done, face Oliver. Felicity quickly washed her face and combed her hair in an attempt to restore some order before she took a deep breath and left the bathroom.

"Oliver?" Felicity called. But there was no response and she knew by the stillness that he was gone, she was alone. Catching sight of a piece of paper laying on the empty and rumpled sheets, Felicity approached the bed and with shaking hands reached for it.

_Felicity, _

_I'm sorry. You're probably as confused as I am right now. But after everything that happened, And all that happened between us tonight. I couldn't stay. And I know that makes me a coward. But like my father, I have FAILED this city and everyone in it. My family, Tommy, Laurel, Digg. And you, Felicity, I have failed you. I should never have let what happened between us, happen. You deserved more than that, more than me. And I don't know how to make everything right again. I'm not coming back Felicity. Don't look for me because you won't find me. I've left you some funds, do whatever you want with it, find a new job or relocate, maybe travel and see the world beyond Starling City. Whatever it is you want to do. Just forget me, move on from all the horror that I've brought into your life in the past year. And whatever it is you do, just be happy._

_Oliver_

Tear slipped freely down her face as she crumpled to the floor. He was gone, he'd left. Left everyone, his family, Laurel, Digg. _**Her.**_ He'd left her.

* * *

**Well, what do you think? keep up the follows, the adding to your favourites and the reviews. They inspire me to write more.**


End file.
